Many vehicles are currently powered by petroleum-based fuels. The use of such vehicles and such fuels can be disadvantageous for several reasons. First, petroleum-based fuel can generate a relatively large amount of by-products from combustion (exhaust). The exhaust by-products generate greenhouse gases and pollution, which are profoundly changing and damaging the earth's environment. Additionally, petroleum resources that are needed for such vehicles are sometimes controlled by politically unstable regimes that are inimical to the United States.
In addition to the considerations listed above, most vehicles that use petroleum-based fuels are mechanically inefficient, because most of these vehicles have a propulsion system which requires the conversion of linear mechanical energy from the engine pistons to rotational energy to drive the vehicle wheels. Because such engines have many moving parts, much of the energy is used in overcoming frictional forces in the engine itself. Additionally, these types of engines also require great precision for the pistons and the cylinders. There are extreme temperature variations in many regions. For these regions, a large mass of the engine is required at least partly because of the need to maintain this precision even as the engine components expand and contract due to thermal expansion and a wide temperature range. As a result, more energy per unit mass is required to propel the vehicle, which results in more petroleum-based fuels being consumed, which further results in more harmful combustion by-products being released into the environment. What is desired is a propulsion system that runs on an alternative fuel, and one that moves in a rotary manner in the direction of the axle, in order to significantly increase the engine efficiency.
One possible alternative fuel could be hydrogen gas. Hydrogen gas is not petroleum-based, and consumption of hydrogen gas as a fuel could release primarily water vapor, which when condensed into liquid water would not harm the environment. But hydrogen gas is extremely combustible; it is very difficult to store hydrogen safely. Hydrogen gas frequently leaks through even very small holes.
In view of the above, an object of the present invention is to provide a propulsion system with a minimum of major moving parts. Another object of the present invention is to provide a system and methods for the safe, stable and efficient storage and distribution of hydrogen gas. It is another object of the present invention to provide a propulsion system, which uses fuel that can be made readily available in many countries throughout the world. Another object of the present invention is to provide a safe, efficient storage and recovery system for hydrogen fuel that uses a minimum of moving parts. Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a propulsion system that yields liquid water as its exhaust product. A further object of the present invention is to provide a propulsion system, and an associated hydrogen storage and recovery system, that can be easily manufactured in a cost-efficient manner.